Best FaceFirst Alternatives in 2026
The top FaceFirst alternatives are FacePhi Selphi, PimEyes and Azure AI Speech: 15 facial recognition software our editors would look at instead of FaceFirst, in our ranking order.
FaceFirst: FaceFirst connects location-based match alerts with video search and investigation tools. Where it falls short: pricing requires contacting sales.
Switching from FaceFirst? For most facial recognition software buyers the best FaceFirst alternative is FacePhi Selphi, built for organizations needing facial authentication and liveness. PimEyes has a free plan.
Why People Look for a FaceFirst Alternative
- Pricing requires contacting sales
- Its focus is physical security, not a general-purpose recognition API
- Video-management integration is documented through an API, with Genetec named
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallFacePhi Selphi8.7
Organizations needing facial authentication and liveness
Visit FacePhi Selphi - Best free optionPimEyes8.3
Has a free plan
Visit PimEyes
All 15 FaceFirst Alternatives, Ranked
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
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Best forOrganizations needing facial authentication and liveness
- Better than FaceFirst:
- Editor score 8.7 vs 7.1
Selphi combines facial authentication, identification and passive liveness for digital identity flows.
8.7/10★★★★☆Contact FacePhi -
Best forPeople searching the web for matching face images
- Better than FaceFirst:
- Editor score 8.3 vs 7.1
A focused web tool for finding matching face images and monitoring their public sources.
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit PimEyes -
Best forTeams needing speech synthesis, not face recognition
- Better than FaceFirst:
- Editor score 7.9 vs 7.1
A capable cloud speech stack, but not a facial-recognition solution.
- API access
7.9/10★★★★☆Try Azure AI Speech -
Best forTeams seeking a free, self-hosted recognition system
- Better than FaceFirst:
- Editor score 7.9 vs 7.1
A self-hosted recognition service with broad capabilities, suited to teams able to manage deployment.
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit CompreFace -
Best forDevelopers building self-hosted face recognition workflows
- Better than FaceFirst:
- Editor score 7.8 vs 7.1
A self-hosted Python toolkit for face matching, analysis, and database-backed search.
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit DeepFace -
Best forTeams processing face images and video streams
- Better than FaceFirst:
- Editor score 7.7 vs 7.1
A developer-focused engine for face matching, video tracking and image-quality checks.
- Video recognition
- API access
7.7/10★★★★☆Contact Cognitec -
Best forOn-prem teams needing video recognition and liveness
- Better than FaceFirst:
- Editor score 7.6 vs 7.1
A video-focused recognition platform for teams needing on-prem deployment and liveness.
- Liveness detection
- Video recognition
- API access
7.6/10★★★★☆Contact Innovatrics -
Best forInvestigators managing large on-prem face databases
- Better than FaceFirst:
- Editor score 7.5 vs 7.1
A self-hosted system for large-scale facial identification, verification and deduplication.
- API access
7.5/10★★★★☆Contact Cognitec -
Best forDevelopers wanting a broad face-analysis API
- Better than FaceFirst:
- Editor score 7.4 vs 7.1
A broad face-analysis API with free access, usage pricing, OCR, and liveness workflows.
7.4/10★★★★☆Visit Face++ -
Best forTeams needing cloud face verification with liveness
- Better than FaceFirst:
- Editor score 7.3 vs 7.1
A cloud API for face verification, identification, liveness, and attack detection.
- Liveness detection
- API access
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit BioID -
Best forSecurity teams matching faces in live or recorded video
- Better than FaceFirst:
- Editor score 7.2 vs 7.1
Video identification with watch-list matching, alerts, clustering, and analytics for enterprise teams.
- Video recognition
- API access
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit Cognitec -
Best forDevelopers building gallery-based face matching
Gallery enrollment, matching, verification and liveness checks for application builders.
- Liveness detection
- Video recognition
- API access
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit Kairos -
Best forOrganizations needing cloud gallery matching workflows
Cloud gallery matching with one-to-one verification and one-to-many identification.
- API access
6.9/10★★★☆☆Contact NEC -
Best forTeams embedding face matching in customer applications
A focused face-matching technology for teams embedding identity workflows in their own applications.
- API access
6.8/10★★★☆☆Contact Paravision -
Best forTeams researching eConnect AI’s facial-recognition offering
A named facial-recognition product; its published listing gives little detail for evaluation.
6.0/10★★★☆☆Contact eConnect AI
FaceFirst Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to FaceFirst?
FacePhi Selphi: #1 in our Facial Recognition Software ranking, with an editor score of 8.7 out of 10. Selphi combines facial authentication, identification and passive liveness for digital identity flows.
Is there a free alternative to FaceFirst?
Yes. PimEyes, Azure AI Speech, CompreFace, DeepFace and Face++ have a free plan or a free tier.
Why do people look for FaceFirst alternatives?
Pricing requires contacting sales; Its focus is physical security, not a general-purpose recognition API; Video-management integration is documented through an API, with Genetec named.
How do I switch from FaceFirst?
Export your data from FaceFirst (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel FaceFirst.
How to Switch from FaceFirst
- Export your data from FaceFirst (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel FaceFirst.
FaceFirst vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Paid from | Recognition mode | Deployment | API access | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | FaceFirst | Both | Hybrid | Yes | 7.1 | |
| 1 | FacePhi Selphi | 8.7 | ||||
| 2 | PimEyes | Cloud | 8.3 | |||
| 3 | Azure AI Speech | Yes | 7.9 | |||
| 4 | CompreFace | Free | Hybrid | 7.9 | ||
| 5 | DeepFace | Free | 7.8 | |||
| 6 | Cognitec FaceVACS Engine | Both | Yes | 7.7 | ||
| 7 | Innovatrics SmartFace | Both | On-premises | Yes | 7.6 | |
| 8 | Cognitec FaceVACS-DBScan ID | Both | On-premises | Yes | 7.5 | |
| 9 | Face++ | 7.4 | ||||
| 10 | BioID Web Service | Both | Cloud | Yes | 7.3 | |
| 11 | Cognitec FaceVACS-VideoScan | Identification | Hybrid | Yes | 7.2 | |
| 12 | Kairos Face Recognition API | Both | Yes | 7.0 | ||
| 13 | NEC NeoFace Reveal | Both | Cloud | Yes | 6.9 | |
| 14 | Paravision Face Recognition Technology | Both | Yes | 6.8 | ||
| 15 | eConnect Facial Rec | 6.0 |
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update